The Price of Information
by PineappleApproves
Summary: (Prequel to The Evil Within: Catharsis) Your mole got what you asked for: key information on taking down Mobius. A certain inbox created for one purpose only received a single email in the early hours of the morning. In it, someone's last message along with three attachments. Before you open it, remember that this kind of information always comes at a price.
1. To Whom It May Concern

_**Author's Note: this is a "bridge" story between Grander Design (an origin story for Stefano and several of my OC's) and The Evil Within: Catharsis (a rewrite of the second game's story with incorporations of original content). Both of these stories can be found under my profile.**_

* * *

To whom it may concern,

I got what you asked for. I can only hope you'll be able to use it to the best of your abilities. Boy, am I placing a lot of faith in an anonymous recipient. But considering who we're up against, it's the best chance any of us have.

Before you even start, I'm going to warn you not to give me a second thought. By the time your inbox receives this, Mobius will have already rooted out the whistleblower. So let me say again: don't worry about me.

But you _need_ to worry about yourself. I've encrypted everything regarding this exchange and wiped every trace leading to you off of this device, but do _NOT_ think that is enough to keep you safe. From now on, you need to act like Mobius knows who you are and what you've done because chances are, they do.

But I guess you already knew the risks before you even asked me for the files, didn't you?

Your only hope is to change everything. _Everything_. Sever any and all personal details from any accounts you own—anything with a username and password, because those won't stop Mobius from getting in and learning everything they can about you. Your friends, your family—it's time to cut them all off. I don't care what kind of history you've had with any of them, because it's not worth the risk. Mobius is everywhere, and the worst part is that we have no way of knowing exactly what that means.

Once you think you've taken enough precautions, bought enough time, have a look at these files. Quickly. You wanted information on how to take Mobius down. The killswitch is their crown jewel: Union. They can only be taken down from the inside, literally. But they've got an obstacle in the way, a _BIG_ one.

Protecting the Core, maintaining Union, keeping each and every single downloaded mind in line—Mobius does it all with _them_. And it starts with the Guardian Program.

I've attached the files of some of the most highly classified profiles in Mobius. There's also data on some top-secret project, some kind of experimental weapon, that researchers had released into Union. Honestly, I'm not sure what it is or why Mobius was building weapons against its own STEM subjects.

A lot of the data here is corrupted and unreadable because the system's failsafe kicked in as soon as it detected my file extractions. I pulled them out and cut them off from the system as quickly as I could, but there was no way to save everything. Take what you can from it. This is the most information that has ever leaked out of Mobius.

It came at a price. May God have mercy on us all.


	2. Attachment 1: Guardian-1

Warning: The file you are trying to open contains heavy data corruption. If this is a trusted document, please select Proceed. Otherwise, select Cancel.

**PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION**

Name (Last, First M.): Dam[REDACTED], #%-ac[REDACTED]

Date of Birth (MM-DD-YYYY): #%-*2-##77

Social Security: [REDACteD]

Photographic Identification: #ERROR!

Fingerprint Identification: #ERROR!

**KNOWN FAMILY AND RELATIVES**

Father: Da[REDACTED], De%-trio; status DECEASED

Mother: Da[REDACTED], Filippa; Via Antonio Manganario, 7 84126 SA Sal#%-o

[Note added by K. Wells on November 29, 2002] All other family members irrelevant. No need for further research.

**EMPLOYMENT INFORMATION**

Date of Employment: Oct*#er 21, 2002

Employment Method: C-2

Division: Union/STEM

Position: Cor% Guardian-1

Employment Status: Active##

4 FILES LOCATED USING KEYWORDS [Guardian-1, Dam#ERROR!]

* * *

**Attachment 1:** File Name_11.16.02 Memo to Admin re: Guardian-1

TO: Administrator

FROM: K. Wells

DATE: November 16, 2002

SUBJECT: Initial Eval##tion Report of Guardian-1

A brief interaction with Guardian-1 has allowed me to conclude that his personality and troubling sense of rightERROR!ousness are crucial obstacl that keep him from fulfilling his role as a satisfactory Mobius employee. Furthermore, my learning of the circu%-sta#ces surrounding his employment strengthens this opinion.

Although standard procedure would be [REDACTED], Haywood has informed me that Guardian-1's psychological profile is near perfect in terms of Guardian viability, and that it would be very costly to find a replacement who would mERROR!st definitely have a psychological profile that is lower in compatibility. Thus, other options are currently being considered before [REDACTED].

In my meeting with Dr. Hoffman tomorrow, I will ask if she is able to include compliance training in addition to Guardian tr%-aini##g. This request will be marked with [REDACTED], and you will be notified if Dr. Hoffman exhibits any sort of resisERROR!ance to the request.

* * *

**Attachment 2:** File Name_11.27.02 Memo to Admin re: Guardian-1

TO: Administrator

FROM: K. Wells

DATE: Nove%-mber 27, ##0#

SUBJECT: Secondary Evaluation Report of G%*rdia#-1

Guardian-1 exhibits concerning resistance to the co%-pliance training. I will reach out to Intel and have them look int% finding any connections th*t may be used as leverage on our reluctant Gu-rdian.

* * *

**Attachment 3:** File Name_12.04.02 Memo to Admin re: Guardian-1

TO: Administrator

FROM: K. Wells

DATE: December 4, 2002

SUBJECT: Tertiary Evaluation Report of Guardian-1

On November 28, Intel l#cated a living family member of Guardian-1, and he was subsequently informed of the necessary terms required to ensure her protection. Satisfactory progress on compliance trainERROR!ing has begun to show. At this rate, Guardian-1 is estimated to b% ready for STEM integration by the end of Feb%-ary.

* * *

**Attachment 4: **File Name_12.14.02_NoA

NOTICE OF ADMONISHMENT to DR. YUKIKO HOFFMAN

FAILURE TO #OMPLY WITH %-THE TERMS OF THIS NOTICE WILL RESULT IN IMMEDIATE [REDACTED].

To Dr. Hoffman,

It has come to management's attention that on December 13, 2002, at approximately 20:42 PST, you established una%-thorized contact with Guardian-1. Please recall that your involvement with the compliance training design and implementation grants you access to the GuardiaERROR! Subdivision during the specified evaluation sessions only. This is an absolute and uncontestable policy. Any sub%#quent violation of this policy will result in [REDACTED].

Please do not force our hand, Dr. Hoffman. You are highly valued in this company, and we would prefer not to lose you.

* * *

END OF ATTACHMENTS


	3. Attachment 2: Core Candidate-4

Warning: The file you are trying to open contains heavy data corruption. If this is a trusted document, please select Proceed. Otherwise, select Cancel.

**PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION**

Name (Last, First M.): ##ERROR!lace, Dakota M.

Date of Birth (MM-DD-YYYY): 06-14-2007

Social Security: [REDACTED]

Photographic Identification: #ERROR!

Fingerprint Identification: #ERROR!

**KNOWN FAMILY AND RELATIVES**

Father: [REDACTED], T#ERR!; status –ACCESSDENIED%

Mother: [REDACTED], Mariah; status [REDACTED] Clev#land, OH

[Note added by J. McMillan on September 23, 2012] Due to recent change in employment status, no further family detail needed.

**EMPLOYMENT INFORMATION**

Date of Employment: Fe#ruary %, 2011

Employment Method: A-4

Division: Union/STEM

Position: Core Candi%-atERROR!

Employment Status: Termi#ERROR!

4 FILES LOCATED USING KEYWORDS [Core, D*%-k0-a Wa%-l#*e]

* * *

**Attachment 1: **File Name_Core Compatibility – Test A Result Evaluation Email

Test A Result Eval – C04

M. Brockwell [mbrockwell mobiusinterna*%-om]

To: K. Wells

CC: Administrator

Sent February 21, 2011

Hi Wells,

I've looked over Dakota's res%-lts and am pleased to repoERROR!rt we might have a winner here. So far Dakota's in*%-ial scores have been a solid 10 points higher that the average of other Core candidates we've tested. Of course it's too sooERROR!n to say, and we'll need to do further testing. Test B will be ad#inistered next week, and I'll let you know what I find from those results before the end of Frida%.

Oh, and [REDACTED] has been visiting her in the playroom. Is that allowed? I know he's her f#ERROR!ther and all, but I'm not sure if we should be keep%-ng them apart.

Regards,

Brockwell

RE: Test A Result Eval – C04

K. Wells [k-ACCESSDENIED% #]

To: M. Brockwell

CC: Administrator

Sent February 21, 201%

Brockwell,

Refrain from referring to C04 by her n#me. With regards to [REDACTED], yes he is allowed to visit her.

Wells

* * *

**Attachment 2:** File Name_Core Compatibility – Test B Result Evaluation Email

Test B Result Eval – C04

M. Brockwell [mbrocERROR!k mobi-int_-n-_-_]

To: K. Wells

CC: Administrator

Sent F#b*uary 25, 2011

Hi Wells,

Candidate C04 underwent Test B yesterday and the results re%-ched my desk just this morning. Good news: she scored higher than average again. Test C will be administered next moERROR!nth.

As we will begin pilot STEM integration with C04 in a week, my team and I were thinking about limiting [REDACTED]'s visits. Please advise.

Regards,

B#ockwell

RE: Test B Result Eval – C04

K. Wells [k-ACCESSDENIED% #]

To: M. Brockwell

CC: Administrator

Sent FebERROR!ruary 25, 2011

How much higher did she score this time?

Regarding [REDACTED], his visits are still permitted as per our agreement.

Wells

RE: Test B Result Eval – C04

M. Brockwell [*-_#%_#- m_-#*%#_-_%*-.#o%]

To: K. WERROR!ells

CC: Administr#tor

Sent February 25, %-011

Hi Wells,

C04 scored 4 points above the average with Test B.

Regards,

Brockwell

FW: RE: Test B Result Eval – C04

K. Wells [k-ACCESSDENIED% #]

To: Administrator

Sent February %-5, 2-11

Administrator,

Per the conversation with Brockwell above, it ap%-ears that C04's deteriorating advantage over past candidates once again calls for the ne-d to search for additional CoERROR!re candidates. Right now C04 shows to be the most comp#tible with Union, but I highly recom%-end finding other options in case C04's future scores fall short.

Wells

RE: FW: RE: Test B Result Eval – C04

Administrator [ERROR!#ACCESS%-DEN-ED#ERROR! -#]

To: K. Wells

Sent February 26, 2011

Hold onto C04 for now. Tell Intel to start the search—it'll give them something to do. Tell [REDACTED] nothing of this.

* * *

**Attachment 3:** File Name_Brockwell Urgent Email

URGENT: Clarification on C05 Requested

M. Brockwell [mbr-#kwell mobiu%-_nter-_# ERROR!]

To: K. Wells

Sent August 17, 2011

Hi Wells,

I jusERROR!t got a notification that a C05 was approved for pilot STEM test runs. Why was I never inf#rmed that we had a C05? What about C04? Union can't run with two Cores. Why were you testing another candidate behind my back? Please clarify!

Regards,

Brockwell

RE: URGENT: Clarification on C05 Requested

K. Wells [k-ACCESSDENIED% #]

To: M. Brockwell

Sent A%-gus- 17, 2011

Brockwell,

Advise yo%-rself if using that kind of accusatory woERROR!rding is g*ing to be good for you in the long run.

I am fully awa-e that Uni#n won't operate under two Cores, which is why I have submitted a Request of Termination for C04 to HR #nd Legal. Remember that I am not reqERROR!uired to tell you anything. Union is my pr%-ject, not yours.

You may tell [REDACTED] if you like, but ask yours-lf if you want to be the bearer of that bad news. And shoERROR!uld you feel the need to step out of line and cro#d my inbox with another email like the one above, also remember tha% I can always send another Request of Terminati#n.

Wells

* * *

**Attachment 4:** File Name_Record of Termination for W[REDACTED], Dakota M.

OFFICIAL REC#RD OF T%-RMINATION FOR DAKOTA MARGARET W%-*L#ERROR!C%

The Request of Termination submitted on August 16, 2011 by Director Karen Wells was approved on August 18, 2011 by Director Marshall Akins.

This record hereby officiates that Dakota Margar%-t W[REDACTED], formerly Core Candidate C04, was terminated as a Mobius employee on August 21, 2011.

Method of termination was injection.

END OF ATTACHMENTS


	4. Attachment 3: The Showstopper

Warning: The file you are trying to open requires Level-AA1 authoriz[OVERRIDDEN]. Select Open to display.

[File access requested on 3.18.2016 at 4:23:22 PST]

[File classification: 9903A – PROPER AUTHORIZATION REQUIRED]

[Input requested]

[Input received 3.18.2016 at 4:23:32 PST]

[Input: %-OVERRIDECODE2567*%-73#7af82]

[Authorization accepted]

[Files accessed on 3.18.2016 at 4:23:33 PST]

[Emergency lockdown initiated on 3.18.2016 at 4:24:05 PST]

2 FILES RETRIEVED

* * *

**Attachment 1:** Recording of Exchanges Between Lead Software Engineer Roger Howell and Director Karen Wells.

Audio clip #1—recorded on March 29, 2014. Audio length—2:31:53

Director Wells: You wanted to see me, Mr. Howell?

Engineer Howell: Right, Director. See, I—.

Director Wells: Keep it short, then. I have a meeting with the Administrator soon.

Engineer Howell: Don't worry, Director. I'll be out of your hair in a flash. See, this is about Union security… that mental screening thing.

Director Wells: You mean Dr. Hoffman's work?

Engineer Howell: Yeah—.

Director Wells: What about it?

Engineer Howell: I'm going to cut to the chase and put it plainly, Director. I don't trust the shrink—not her loyalty, mind you. Just her ability to _filter out the psychopaths_, as she puts it. I think she's putting too much faith in her interviews and little paper tests.

Director Wells: So you're saying…?

Engineer Howell: I'm saying that if someone really wanted to get past her, they could. And you know what that could mean for Project Union.

Director Wells: I see.

[Pause]

Engineer Howell: Director—.

Director Wells: You know what, Mr. Howell? I do believe there is some merit in your reasoning. If we are being honest here, I do find myself growing less and less trusting of Dr. Hoffman—especially after that incident with Guardian-1. What did I expect? His… "charisma," as others put it, appears to be infectious… even on that reclusive doctor. If it weren't for the Administrator's insistence on keeping him, I would have had Guardian-1 terminated a long time ago.

Engineer Howell: Guardian-1? You mean the half-dead soldier Mobius pulled in from—?

Director Wells: Stay focused, Mr. Howell. What else did you come here to discuss?

Engineer Howell: Er—right, sorry. Thing is, we've got the Core integrated into STEM, and Union up and running. Plus some people already put in. It's too late to double check on the doc's work at this point… well, from the outside, anyway. The guys in the department and I have been talking about getting, well, let's call it an _antivirus_ up and running in the background of Union.

Director Wells: … Mr. Howell—.

Engineer Howell: Hear me out, Director. I'm not talking about making some fuddy-duddy Norton for Union. I'm talking about a piece of artificial intelligence operating in the shadows of Union, using algorithms and analytics to scan thousands of minds in less than a second.

Director Wells: Are you referring to some kind of psychopath detector?

Engineer Howell: Not just that—I'm talking about something that does both the searching and destroying. And once it finds such a mental profile, it eliminates that mind before any harm can be brought to Union and the Core. So think of it less as a Norton Antivirus, and more as an intelligent heat-seeking missile.

Director Wells: Intriguing. You're making big claims, Mr. Howell. But before you get too excited, know that I'm none too keen on sticking your random pet projects into my Union. I'd like to know how all of this works first.

Engineer Howell: We're actually in the process of finalizing a beta version of this software. We still need… well, a few things for our test runs.

Director Wells: Such as…?

Engineer Howell: Director, with your approval, we'd like a few test subjects.

Director Wells: Test subjects?

Engineer Howell: Yes, Director. Ones deemed mentally stable, ones clinically diagnosed with psychopathy… and maybe one or two that we're not sure of.

Director Wells: Hmm… send me the request as soon as you get back to your desk. I'll have it approved by tomorrow morning.

Engineer Howell: Of course. Thank you, Director.

Director Wells: Oh, and Mr. Howell?

Engineer Howell: Yes?

Director Wells: Let me know once HR delivers to you your subjects. I'd like to personally spectate on these test runs.

Engineer Howell: Yes, Director.

[End of recording]

* * *

**Attachment 2:** Report of Union Weaponized Malware for Approval—Copy.

TO: Administrator

FROM: K. Wells

DATE: September 2, 2014

SUBJECT: Report and Transcript of Union Malware Beta Test

On September 1, 2014 at 8:32 PM, the last of the malware testing was complete. Consequently, Mr. Howell and his development team have seen fit to assign this malware the alias of "the Showstopper," which is the name that will be used in this report henceforth.

I have personally viewed all testing sessions for the Showstopper, as I did not trust Mr. Howell to not present me with biased test results. His work desktop, laptop, and personal mobile device were all monitored unbeknownst to him, which allows me to confidently assure you that no unscheduled testing was done.

In total, 14 test subjects were collected for testing purposes. The psychological profiles of these subjects varied and were first all screened by Dr. Yukiko Hoffman. She correctly identified two clinically diagnosed psychopaths that we had purposely chosen. However, we included a third subject that, through Intel's constant monitoring of his day-to-day life, has been confirmed to be a high-functioning psychopath. This was a man named Joe Davis. As you might suspect, this Mr. Davis managed to complete Dr. Hoffman's tests and interviews with no diagnosis.

The 14 subjects were separately integrated into isolated STEM environments and exposed to the Showstopper malware. I am pleased to report that the Showstopper has performed above and beyond even Dr. Hoffman's abilities, correctly identifying and eliminating the psychopaths including Mr. Davis. Might I say that Mr. Howell's design of the Showstopper is rather ingenious? He first described the malware to be as a heat-seeking missile, but I see it behaving more as an anglerfish.

You can never be too careful with these unsavory characters that could threaten Union's intricate structure, especially if they know that a weapon is after them. But the Showstopper is designed to allure, and in STEM it is able to manifest in physical form. Only contact between the subject and itself is required for elimination. Mr. Howell even demonstrated to me the Showstopper's ability to evade mentally stable subjects. I would not have approved this project if it were going to destroy any of our carefully collected Union citizens.

See attached for the recording of the Joe Davis test session for your review. Let me know if you would like to view the recordings of any other sessions, although I am sure this one piece of footage will say more than enough.

[Begin recording]

_(The voice of a test administrator outside of the STEM environment narrates) "Subject name is Joe Davis—male, age 36_. _Davis was widowed approximately three years ago when his wife, Ivy, was found dead in the hotel the couple were staying at in Denver, Colorado. Though Davis was initially suspected, police investigation and interrogation acquitted Davis of any involvement and his wife's death was deemed accidental. Our Intel department, however, firmly believe that Davis had some responsibility even if the death was accidental overall. Davis was set free, and we continued to monitor him without intervention._

"_However, now that Director Wells has requested the need for a test subject with high-functioning psychopathy, we have admitted Davis into the testing program. The subject is unaware that he has been brought into the STEM system and believes he is still in the physical world. To play to this belief, the testing environment has been made to simulate the interview room in which Mobius doctors first interviewed Davis. He has been called in for what he believes is a third interview._

"_For this test, the Showstopper has been programmed to remain stationary inside an adjacent room that can be accessed from the therapy room through a door. This has been done to test its temptation factor—its ability to analyze the subject's psych and memories and redesign itself in a way that appeals to the subject as much as possible—dubbed the Siren Effect._

"_The testing of Joe Davis commences in three… two… one."_

_(Recording begins. The camera is positioned in the corner of the room where the walls meet the ceiling. It is pointed down at the table where the interviewer sits. Across the table from the interviewer is an empty chair, and behind that is a chair marked 'Exit.' Another nondescript door is to the interviewer's left. The door marked as an exit opens, and a brown-haired man steps in.)_

"_Welcome back, Mr. Davis. Have a seat. This shouldn't take too long."_

"_Sure. Thanks."_

_(Davis takes a quick glance at the nondescript door as he sits, but returns to looking at the interviewer.)_

"_Now Mr. Davis, we noticed a few issues on the documentation you gave us that need some clarification from you."_

"_You couldn't talk about this over the phone instead?"_

"_Unfortunately not. Once we make any corrections or reject the proposed revisions, we'll need additional signatures from you. Now let's start with… Mr. Davis? Is something troubling you?"_

"_What? No… why?"_

"_You were staring off to your right. Is something wrong?"_

"_Staring—? No, nothing's wrong. What was the first issue you had?"_

"_This form you submitted has the lines here and here blank. We require this information, so would you kindly fill these parts out?"_

"_That's strange… I didn't leave any part blank. Are you—well, I guess I could have missed something. Sorry for the trouble."_

"_It's okay, Mr. Davis."_

_(A few seconds pass as Davis fills out the blank lines on the form. His eyes seem to occasionally drift towards the nondescript door before he continues writing. Meanwhile, the interviewer is preparing additional documents.)_

"_Okay, is that good?"_

"_Yes, thank you. Can you sign the bottom and include the date of revision? Great, thanks. Now, this document right here…"_

"_Ivy's…"_

"_Upon review of your wife's death certificate, we found that it lacks the signature and stamp from the state vital records office. Might I ask why that is?"_

"_It's not…? Wait, I don't know how that's possible. Ivy's death was officially registered with the state! I was there!"_

"_Even so, there is nothing at the bottom of this document. This is the original that you submitted to us, Mr. Davis. But there is no valid confirmation that your wife indeed passed away."_

"_No valid confirmation? Her death was under police investigation for ages! They pulled me in too, thinking I killed my Ivy! I'm sure they have plenty of records!"_

"_Mr. Davis, why do you keep looking at the door?"_

"_I'm not…! Listen, Ivy is… What's behind there?"_

"_Pardon?"_

"_What's through that door?"_

"_That is for employee use only, Mr. Davis. Now please, let's focus back on our discussion."_

_(At this point, Mr. Davis appears clearly agitated. His glances towards the door become more frequent and distraught.)_

"_First you pull me in here—just like those police officers—telling me things that don't make sense! It doesn't make sense that Ivy's death certificate was never declared official! It doesn't make sense that I would kill her—I would never! What's behind that door? You tell me now! What's behind that door?"_

"_Mr. Davis! Please sit down!"_

"_She's back there, isn't she? Ivy never died—that's why there aren't any records, isn't it? Ivy—oh baby—Ivy, I knew it! I knew it! I'm coming, Ivy!"_

_(The chair Mr. Davis was sitting on his flung back as he stumbles towards the door and tips over. Mr. Davis reaches the door and fumbles at the handle while the doctor sits and watches. A few seconds later, the door flies open. Mr. Davis hurries through.)_

"_Ivy! Ivy! It's y—!"_

_(The next few seconds are abruptly silent. The doctor speaks through their earpiece to a STEM operator.)_

"_The subject has made contact. Yes… yes, eliminated."_

_(The doctor turns back to the table and calmly organizes the documents into a neat pile. They pick it up, rise, and leave through the exit door.)_

END OF ATTACHMENTS.


	5. New Unread Message

Inbox (1)

Hello,

It has come to our attention that on February 3, 3:22AM, you received unauthorized access to private Mobius property via electronic mail to the address 415U7814T19emweb. However, due to the urgent and need-to-know nature of this content, it was deemed more appropriate to send this message to your personal inbox instead. Please note that such an action as described above is recognized abjectly as theft, and we will do everything in our power to ensure that swift and sure measures are taken to remediate the damages caused.

No further action is needed at your end. We will take care of everything. Thank you, and have a nice day.

Sincerest regards.

* * *

_**End.**_


End file.
